


An Unknown Hand

by Riot_Writes



Category: Mass Effect - All Media Types, Mass Effect Trilogy
Genre: Agender, Agent Theta, Angst, Dark Past, Genderqueer, Graphic Fight Scenes, Headcanon, I'm more of a pantser so lets see where the plot goes, Mass Effect 3, Non-Binary OC, Original Character(s), Other, Rayl Shield, Riot Writes, Soldiers, Timeline takes place between Mass effect 2 and Mass Effect 3, Violence, bear with me, between me2 and me3, non-binary
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-04-21
Updated: 2019-08-12
Packaged: 2020-01-23 13:02:47
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 4
Words: 11,277
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18550309
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Riot_Writes/pseuds/Riot_Writes
Summary: Tasked with a mission from their employer, Agent Theta must track down Miranda Lawson covertly. With the threat of a independent Cerberus assassin determined to track down Miranda's location because of her Cerberus defection, Theta must find Miranda first. Armed with enough resources, the mission should be simple enough, but things take a turn for the complicated when Miranda discovers she's being tailed by the mysterious Agent. Where does their loyalty lie? Who is their employer? Will they both succeed in stopping the Cerberus Assassin before it's too late? What happens when their past comes from nowhere, determined to destroy them and everything they care about?





	1. Chapter 1

_“Agent Theta.”_

 

A familiar sound of a mechanical voice, it sounded more like a machine than a man, used to cover their true identity. The only known identity being the same familiar coverup voice, mechanized and static, obviously fake, but instantly recognizable by anyone who would hear it.

 

A human rests on a soft patch of grass, hands tucked behind their head, enjoying the sun for a moment before slowly opening their eyes. Gray mismatching eyes blink open, a touch of green in the iris of the right as the human unlatches a hand from behind their head. A slick mechanized hand reaching for their ear, a finger tapping the small comm piece tucked away there. Removing the hand from their ear, the fingers flex, an omni-tool display appearing just above their forearm, each flick of a mechanized finger bringing up a different image on the display.

 

“Have something for me?” The human slowly sits up, an image and information flooding onto the display of the omni-tool.

 

_“An assignment. There’s a target I need you to track.”_ A brow quirks up, scanning through the images and pile of information visible on the omni-tool.

 

Business had been slow as of late, the whole universe almost seemed to be in a complete standstill the past few months. It had only recently relaxed into a state of calm shortly after a rather rebellious Alliance Commander decided to make their presence known in the Terminus Systems, especially here on Illium. Until recently, the aforementioned soldier acted in stance with a corporation called Cerberus, a particularly annoying corporation that acted in human-kind’s best interest, and humans alone. After some digging through Cerberus comm channel chatter and the rumor mill on Illium, it became clear the Commander quickly cut ties with Cerberus and was placed under house arrest by the Alliance.

 

After the sudden turn of events, Cerberus decided to retreat to lick its wounds and things in the Terminus started to settle, as much as it could, anyways. Illium remained the same cesspool for rumors and blackmail while the Terminus systems remained an unsafe place for humans to colonize, on the outer reaches of Alliance controlled space. Yay mankind. Since then, things had become rather….

 

Boring.

 

The mention of an assignment has the human flicking through the information, eyes narrowing and widening as they read. _“Consider this a covert mission, Agent Theta.”_ Agent Theta, nods absently, their finger stilling as another image appears, making their frantic scanning cease. _“Your target is a Miss Miranda Lawson.”_ The image on the omni-tool shows just that, a stunning woman with eyes of daggers, long flowing black hair spilling over a shoulder; a Cerberus logo emblazoned on the chest of their jumpsuit. _“Former Cerberus operative.”_

 

With their free hand, Theta rubs a finger against their lip, eyeing the picture and the obvious designation imprinted on their clothing. “Former? Didn’t think that was a thing.” They observe, removing their fingers from their lips to enlarge the image, eyes narrowing at the look in the woman’s eyes.

 

_“Miranda Lawson, former Cerberus, use to head the Lazarus Project.”_ The voice in Theta’s ear explains. A flick of a finger, dismisses the image, bringing up documents detailing the mentioned project. _“She worked with Commander Shepard as well as Cerberus in the Terminus Systems a few months ago. She defected around the time that Shepard stepped away from Cerberus as well.”_

 

Scanning the project details easily draws a few red lines to correlating ideas. The project to resurrect Commander Shepard, no wonder this Lawson teamed up with them. Still surprised she decided to defect from Cerberus after all of that, unless there was something she discovered during that time. Cerberus, of course, isn’t all about safely and happily defending mankind. They take an approach of harsh experiments and inhumane testing to ‘better mankind’ with their own definition. Suffice it to say, the company wasn’t everyone’s favorite. The years prior of Theta’s work had dedication to monitoring Cerberus and their actions as well as a random Prothean researcher.

 

A corner of Theta’s lips jerks upwards, scrutinizing the information. “So, why the track?”

 

_“It seems there’s a Cerberus agent acting on their own volition.”_ A file appears on the omni-tool, a report filed from another agent other than Theta. It details an assassin biotic Cerberus agent with Cerberus reports claiming them AWOL. The report describes Cerberus chatter calling back forces to reclaim the biotic, instead detailing to “let subject do what she wants”. Looks like Cerberus believes the assassin with return to control until after her ‘tantrum’. At the very end of the report is a snippet from the comm channels before the assassin went dark “no one leaves Cerberus and gets away with it”.

 

“Ah.” Theta clicks their tongue. “I suppose that’s reason enough. I’m guessing this isn’t a one assignment deal?”

 

_“Lawson went dark shortly after defecting. Although this assassin most likely won’t have Cerberus resources to find her, they could still have a way. Lawson has her own contacts to help remain hidden and jump from planet to planet, it’ll make it difficult.”_ Theta rubs their chin as they consider it, a mental picture of a wall appearing, connecting the dots.

 

“But with the right amount of pressure from say… an assassin, her contacts could cave, revealing her location. If those contacts were ever mentioned on Cerberus records… the assassin could have their names. Okay so security on that front could be compromised. Could mean only a matter of time before she’s caught by a vindictive assassin that doesn’t take no for an answer.” Theta thinks out-loud, the voice in their ear silencing to let them process. “So, the assignment is to find Lawson’s location and intercept the assassin’s progress with false flags, throwing them off her trail.”

 

_“Exactly, this is your assignment.”_ The voice confirms, and Theta only groans.

 

“Babysit. You want me to babysit.”

 

_“Covertly.”_

 

Even with the mechanical voice, it sounds as if the person in their ear is sounding amused. “Of course, how can I refuse you?” Despite the words, Theta still lets the annoyance come through in their voice. “Fine. What’s the last known location?”

 

_“Bahak System in the Viper Nebula.”_ Theta’s mouth falls open, _oh. “The Normandy’s last known location was Earth, but no sign of Miranda Lawson onboard. She most likely dropped ship between Bahak and Earth, however…”_

 

“With the destruction of the entire system and the blown-up Relay…” Theta adds, not even questioning the voice’s next words. “Can’t be certain where she jumped ship at.” The voice doesn’t bother to confirm Theta’s theory. Their free hand slowly drags down the length of their face, a slow groan escaping their lips. “You do like making my life difficult.”

 

_“I thought you liked a challenge.”_ The voice almost sounds playful, making Theta grin. For awhile now the voice on the other end had… changed, at least in the way it spoke, it had become more personal, not as hard and commanding as it once had been. Lately, the difference was becoming more noticeable, albeit welcome, at least Theta found themselves less annoyed by any conversation with the voice now.

 

“You know me too well.” Theta chuckles, standing up to stretch, their back cracking as they reach their arms far above their head. They lower their arms, glancing back at the omni-tool display, pulling up Miss Lawson’s personnel file. There had to be someone close to her that would know where she was hiding now. If the assassin had the ability to track her down, the same could be said for Theta, except they had more resources to go by, not just Cerberus databases. Their mismatch eyes gleam with interest at a name, someone connected to the Lazarus Project… and worked with Miranda after the project’s success.

 

Jacob Taylor, the first bread crumb.

 

_“I’m sure you can figure it out. Keep me updated on your progress.”_

Theta nods, spraying the fingers of their left hand out, the omni-tool display closing at the action, but the communication line remaining open. They reach a hand for their ear, finger hovering over the comm device nestled there, “Mission Accepted, Shadow Broker.” and the comm closes with a touch.


	2. Chapter 2

Jacob Taylor sits at the bar, a drink in hand. Since departing Cerberus, he decided to take a sabbatical, sorting through his thoughts with everything that Cerberus had done. Working with Shepard for the short period of time helped open his eyes to all the wrong doing, the negligence to how they treated people just to get what they wanted. Before he had considered the Illusive Man as an inspiration, a way to help preserve humanity as well as the galaxy. So much had changed since then.

The vacation was more than what he needed, since Shepard and the Normandy headed back to Earth after what happened in Batarian space, he took advantage of the fact that they were back home to relax in the Mediterranean. Since he officially claimed he was no longer Cerberus, the Alliance chose not to bother him regarding his previous employment. Commander Shepard more than happily vouching for his independence. Despite his attempts to defend Shepard as well, the Commander ended up under house arrest. There wasn’t much anyone could do about the Alliance’s decision regarding the matter.

Jacob lifts his drink to his lips, barely able to take a sip before someone takes up residence beside him, despite all the free seats at the bar. His eyes cast a wary glance to his left, observing his new bar companion. It was… a woman? There was a softness to their facial features, suggesting such, but there was something that gave him pause to that assumption. It wasn’t the hair, a dark brown with tips colored in a rich dark blue, the length tied back in a short braid that barely reached their shoulder blades. One of their hands reaches up, flagging down the bartender for a drink, a robotic hand at that. Soft looking lips mouth the words, asking for one drink. 

Even from the corner of his eyes, Jacob takes in everything from the stranger, the mechanical left hand, the soft lips. Even the angled defined line of their jaw, drawing a blank as to who it was, much less anything more other than the fact that it was obviously a human. If they notice Jacob’s lingering gaze, they chose not to respond, instead calmly waiting for the bartender to set a drink in front of them before grasping the glass.

The stranger brings the glass to their lips, metallic fingers clutching the drink, smiling against the rim. “You’re an easy man to find, Jacob Taylor.” 

The drink quickly leaves his lips, Jacob’s head snapping its attention to the person beside him, his mouth agape in silent shock. He lowers the glass safely back to the counter, his eyes narrowing. They were in a public space, even if there was no one at the counter other than the two of them, there were still other patrons in the bar itself. Who ever this person was and whomever they worked for didn’t matter, they wouldn’t do anything here, not with this many eyes. “Who are you?” 

The stranger takes a sip of their drink, keeping their eyes on the wall in front of them as they set their drink back down. “Agent Theta.” They grin. “You can rest easy, Jacob. I don’t work for Cerberus.” Something about those words make his shoulders relax, even though they could be lying. “The two sitting at the table behind us, however… I can’t say the same for them.” At the statement, he slowly glances over his shoulder, stealing a quick glance at the table behind them near the door, two people casually sitting. 

”I suggest not drawing too much attention.” This, Agent Theta, continues, making Jacob turn his head slowly back to them, being careful to not draw attention to his alarm. “Despite what you may think, I’m here to help.” 

”Agent Theta?” Jacob asks, an accusation sitting with his question. 

”That’s my name, don’t ware it out.” They reply, taking another lazy sip from their drink. “Just act like we’re hitting it off. You’ve had a few drinks now; we can play it like you’re about to bring me back to your place. If they tail us, we can throw them off.” They hold the drink in their hand, turning in their chair to slightly face Jacob, a smirk playing against their lips. “Unless you can’t play along? I’m not too bad on the eyes, I hope?” 

Despite his efforts, the tone of their voice flusters Jacob for a second, mostly out of confusion for his sudden situation. He decides to play along, tilting himself towards Theta, a smile playing at mismatched eyes. The sight staggers him even more, but he summons a similar smirk, holding his glass up. Theta lifts their glass against Jacobs with a soft clink. 

”Atta boy.” They suddenly laugh, placing their free hand on Jacob’s forearm like he just made a joke, a smile broadening their face. “I always figured you for a team player.” They down the rest of their drink, setting the empty glass on the counter. They turn back around, sliding off their seat before spinning back around to Jacob, extending a tempting nonrobotic hand. “Shall we?”

Jacob quickly finishes off the rest of his drink, before taking their hand, leaving his seat as well and adding a slight wobble to his step. They depart the bar easily enough, his hand leaving Theta’s as they walk, keeping up the elusion that they’ve both had a few. At first he begins to doubt his suspicions, until he hears the hiss of the bar doors reopening and the press of a mechanical hand against the small of his back. 

”We’ll turn the corner and I’ll duck away. I want you to keep walking.” Jacob doesn’t not to confirm the plan, instead taking the turn as instructed, feeling the hand on his back leave its place when he does. 

The silence quickly becomes deafening as Jacob continues to walk, not even turning to look behind him. A loud grunt sounds behind him and Jacob quickly spins around, catching a glance of Theta as they deck one of the men following them with a reinforced hand. The impact sending the tail sprawling to join his companion in a crumpled heap. Theta straightens themselves, flexing the fingers of their left hand, inspecting the metal for any imperfections. 

”A lot easier than I thought it would be honestly.” Theta hunches down, bending their knees as they pat through the men, emptying their pockets. “Sloppy if you ask me, though it could be worse.” They pull out a credit chit from one of the pockets, eyeing it before slipping it into one of their own. “I’m assuming they were just out here to try and apprehend you, get some answers perhaps…” They shrug, standing to dust off their hands. “Of course they’d have nothing to get from you… Maybe just keeping tabs.”

”Uh.” Jacob begins, drawing Theta’s attention back to him.

”Hm?” Hands on their hips. “What? Something in my teeth?”

”Who the fuck are you?” Jacob asks, pressing this time for a real answer. 

They glance behind them, as if assuming Jacob is speaking to someone else. “I told you. My name’s Agent Theta. Just Theta is fine, Agent isn’t my first name. I guess Cerberus doesn’t always hire people for their brains.”

James grits his teeth. “You know what I mean! How did you know those two were Cerberus and that they were following me? Better yet, how and why did you find me?” 

Theta folds their arms across their chest, shrugging. “I already said you’re a very easy man to find. You don’t necessarily try very hard to keep yourself hidden.” They point over their shoulder at the two unconscious men with a thumb. “As for them… I had no clue. I just thought it’d be a way to get you out of the bar, didn’t actually think they’d follow us. Point for me.” They lower their arm. “As for the why… I’m looking for someone, someone you know.”

Jacob’s eyes narrow at them, abandoning all hope in getting a straight answer from this stranger. “Who?” He finally asks.

”Miranda Lawson.”

The name staggers Jacob, making him take a step back, looking at the stranger with a more defensive gaze. “So.” It all comes to light now, this Theta’s true intention for making their presence known and assisting with the two men following him. Just to extort information from him, in the nicest way possible. Not much difference from torture, but definitely not Cerberus’ MO. 

Theta shrugs, unfolding their arms to hold their hands up at their shoulders, palms up, acting innocent. “I’m just trying to find her. I don’t have an ulterior motives, trust me. I have a mission to track her whereabouts and nothing more than that.” Jacob’s eyes only turn into a glare at the words, even if they didn’t work for Cerberus, the same question remained. Who the hell did they work for? “I already told you I’m not Cerberus so what’s wrong with telling me? I promise my only intention is to make sure Cerberus doesn’t succeed in finding her. I have no way of proving it other than my word, but.” They let their hands drop to their sides. “Its kinda all I have. I want to ensure she’s safe just as much as you, I’m sure. Anything you have, even an inkling of where she might be.” 

Jacob hesitates, taking another step back as he glances away, weighing the words. Despite his reluctance, the silence doesn’t linger for very long. “We don’t keep in contact very often.” He shakes his head as he speaks. “Last I heard I think she was at the Citadel, lying low in the area, Cerberus didn’t have a lot of agents in Citadel space, its most likely where she still is.” 

Theta smiles, clapping Jacob on the arm so hard it makes him wince. “Was that so hard?” They chuckle, stepping back to put a foot on the unconscious men. “I’ll clean up these two. Although I’d suggest you don’t stay in one place for too long. If these goons found you already, I’m sure others know where you are already.” They nod in the direction they had been headed before. “Go on now, I appreciate your assistance, Jacob, I really do.”

His eyes still narrow but he nods, turning to leave but stopping, casting a glance over at Theta as they start to pick up one of the men. “You’re… just trying to protect her, right?” 

Theta drops the arm they were just grabbing, looking at Jacob with a grin. “My employer hired me to track her and ensure her safety. If they wanted her dead… they’d give this assignment to someone else. I find lost things, I don’t pull the trigger.” They answer before bending down to grab an arm, hefting the limp body over their shoulder. “Have a good night Jacob. May we never see each other again.” 

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Being an agent with the Shadow Broker required certain, resources in order to follow through with assignments, especially when it came to tracking targets. A ship was one of those required resources, one that Theta possessed. Albeit small, the ship was large enough to sit Theta comfortably, even considering the engine room was where she slept. Suffice it to say, the small fighter only had three exact rooms, slightly larger than a typical shuttle and more fit for long term space travel. The dark matter engine in the back of the ship taking most of the engine room, with a small cot beside it where Theta slept on the ship. With the protective shielding around the core, it was perfectly safe to sleep next to. 

Besides the engine room, there was the main part of the ship where a few benches sat on the walls of the ship, a table, a small place to cook, and of course the side airlock. Lastly was the cramped cock pit at the helm of the ship, just a big enough room for a pilot to sit and someone to stand comfortably beside the chair, an array of displays sprayed out across the viewscreen as well as a visible display of the area in front of the ship. For now, all Theta saw was stars out the viewscreen, idly tapping through their omni-tool despite the lingering quiet.

A small drone hovers beside the seat as Theta sits, flicking through windows with a flick of their finger, their free hand holding a ration bar, occasionally taking a bite out of it. The drone hovers quietly, the only sound resonating in the tiny cockpit being the occasional beep from Theta’s omni-tool, until a louder chirp resonates from their forearm.

”Ah, here we go.” They free a pinky from the ration, tapping the pinging notification on their omni-tool. A display appears, a small window with text.

_[MSG] JT: A word of warning, someone new is tracking you._

Theta grins at the display, taking a bite from the ration.

_[MSG] ML: The usual?_

_[MSG] JT: No, but don’t worry, I sent them in the wrong direction._

_[MSG] ML: Is this line secure?_

_[MSG] JT: Of course._

Theta takes a bite of their ration, speaking through the dry bar in their mouth. “It’s not.” They shake their head, swallowing the contents in their mouth before thumbing the message information, a subscreen appearing on their display, numbers scrolling past as it traces the source.

_[MSG] ML: Good. Thanks for the warning._

_[MSG] JT: Stay safe._

Theta quickly finishes the ration, the subscreen finishing its scan from the message. “Eve.” The drone floating behind them perks up, its light brightening. “Place a call to Operative Zaz.” The drone nods in response, a new display coming to the cockpit.

 _”Agent Theta, to what do I owe the great pleasure of your annoying presence?”_ A voice asks, Theta grinning at the familiar voice. 

”Nice to hear from you too Zaz.” Their gaze turns to the omni-tool, grabbing the results of their scan. “I have some information I’m sending your way. I need a trace on the source. I have a garbled IP, but I’m sure you can make sense of it and find me a heading.”

 _”Got an assignment did we?”_ There’s a playful smugness in her voice as she speaks. _”Alright, I’ll find a location for you. Don’t forget to give me proper credit when you send your report to the Shadow Broker. I’d hate for you to steal all the glory.”_ Theta continues to grin at their playful tone, shaking their head as they send the information. 

”I’ll be sure to key you in at the end of my report.” Theta rolls their eyes, enjoying the laughter from Zaz on the other end. 

_”Got it.”_

”That was fast.” Theta observes.

 _”I’m good at what I do, darling.”_ Zaz replies coyly. _”Your target is in the Eagle Nebula, Relic System. That’s all I can get for you.”_

”No idea what the planet is?”

 _”I can only tell you where the Relay pings the message. Be happy I got you more than just the Nebula. There’s only so many habitable places in the Relic system anyways. Aren’t you the expert on finding lost things, darling?”_ The words make Theta roll their eyes again, keying open the galaxy map on their ship hub, inspecting the system in question. _”Shouldn’t take you too long to figure it out, you’re more than capable, darling.”_

Theta nods, eyeing the different planets, unfortunately there were a few them, all Hanar named planets. “Thanks, Zaz, I appreciate the backup.” They scan through the planets, selecting a few and analyzing the surface before dismissing them as a possibility.

 _”Any time, lovely. Operative Zaz out.”_ The call ends just as Theta selects another possible planet, their eyes narrowing.

First Land. The planet itself being a large green hydrogen-helium gas giant, the surface itself not likely habitable. Except, the many space stations in the atmosphere managing refueling stations. It sat under Hanar controlled space, but that didn’t immediately dismiss the possibility. Refueling stations meant a lot of traffic, a good place to hide, and its not like Hanar have a huge opposition to humans in general. 

”Eve…” The drone perks up again. “Set a course for First Land, Eagle Nebula. Also, send a report to the Shadow Broker for me.” They enlarge the view of the planet, a smile playing at their lips as they eye it. “Let them know I’ve found my target.”


	3. Chapter 3

A station full of Hanar and Drell, with an occasional human using the nearby fuel depots to resupply their ships. It was a good place to lie low, avoiding attention and frequented enough to get an easy ride off station if a situation requires it. The past few days though, there wasn’t anything that could raise an alarm, even with Jacob’s warning message a few days ago.

Constantly keeping an eye out, however, left Miranda anxious, grabbing a drink from the small bar on the station to try and calm her nerves. Despite the frequent people to the station, she tries to keep a low profile as much as possible, her long silken black hair tied back, black rimmed glasses and a data pad in hand. The universal symbol for any curious person to not fuck with her.

Or so she thought.

A stranger slides into the booth across from her, drawing a glance from over her datapad to gaze at the stranger. Elbows prop themselves onto the table between them, a chin resting in open palms, their left hand strangely covered by a glove, a grin playing at the lips of the stranger. One of her brows cock up curiously at the playful grin from the stranger. They’re clothing almost makes them look like a mercenary, a canvas vest, buckled across their chest, several pockets across the breast. Her eyes narrow as she gazes at the stranger over the datapad, abandoning her attempt to read it by lowering it. 

”Can I help you?” Miranda asks. 

The stranger drops their arms, folding them on top of the table, their head remaining where they left it, a playful grin still on their lips. “You look like you need a drink. May I buy you a drink?” They ask.

She glances down at the empty glass by her hands, her drink already finished. “Not necessary, thank you.” Miranda picks her datapad back up, looking at its contents once more. “You can leave now.”

Except the stranger doesn’t leave. “Not even half a drink? We can split it. I’ll drink the drugged part, if that’s what you’re worried about.” 

This was obviously going no where quick. Miranda slams the datapad onto the table, sliding out of the booth and getting to her feet. “I said no. Leave me be.” She turns her back on the stranger, keeping the datapad in her hand.

”Alright.” The stranger says, without even looking she knows that stupid playful grin is still on their face, even as she takes long strides out of the bar. 

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

A few days pass before Miranda ventures back to the bar, hoping to keep a low profile and avoid seeing the stranger again. Luckily, as she enters and glances over the patrons, there’s no sight of them, a pleasing hum rumbling her throat as she goes to order a drink from the hanar behind the bar. As soon as she reaches the counter there’s a loud thud beside her, making her jump, her eyes growing wide.

”Let me buy you a drink.” Miranda’s eyes instantly narrow, a scowl reaching her lips as she glares at the stranger. They have the same annoying smirk on their face, lounging their back casually against the bar, hands behind them holding the edge of the counter. 

”No.” Miranda hisses the word, their smirk only widening as they lift up their left hand, Miranda’s eyes widening. Between their gloved fingers rests a credit chit. Miranda’s hand instantly flies to her pocket, feeling for the outline, but finding nothing, her gaze at the stranger changing to shock. “When did you..”

”Just one drink.” They push themselves off the counter, turning to face it, still holding Miranda’s credit chit in their gloved hand. They motion their free hand to the hanar bartender. “Order your drink, I’ll pay for it, and then I’ll be on my way.” The words bring even more confusion to Miranda’s expression. “I just want to buy you a drink. I’m not going to use it as an obligation.” They use Miranda’s credit chit to motion back to the bartender. “So? What’ll it be? You look like someone who appreciates a nice Thessian wine.” She doesn’t answer them, refuses to answer them. “Thessian wine it is, you were drinking it the other day anyways.” The hanar slowly makes its way over to them at their beckoning. “A glass of your nicest Thessian wine for the lady, please.” With that, they tap the credit chit onto the counter, sliding it over to Miranda. “I suggest you take the time to enjoy it.” 

They step back, leaving Miranda’s credit chit on the counter, still making that stupid smirk as they back away, waving lightly at Miranda’s continuous glare. Despite the stranger’s words, Miranda abandons the drink on the counter as soon as they leave the bar, determined to leave the station as soon as possible. Thankfully, finding a a way to hop to another nearby station doesn’t prove difficult. 

Except for one thing.

When Miranda finds herself onboard another station orbiting the planet a few days later, she barely spends a few hours there before a familiar figure catches her eye. A familiar annoying smirk against smooth lips, leaning against a wall with arms folded. The sight of the stranger makes Miranda halt in stunned silence, trying to ponder how the hell the stranger found her, much less discovered which of the station, of the dozen she had moved to. Without even a second thought, she turns on her heel, looking for another hop to a different station, choosing to be even more discreet. 

The third station doesn’t provide a solution, Miranda catching sight of the smirk as soon as she steps on the station, the stranger giving a wink and a finger gun as soon as they lock eyes. Despite how frequented the planet was due to the many fuel depots and space stations, it seemed insufficient now. With a continuous game of cat and mouse, Miranda refusing to become the mouse she decided it was time to abandon the planet and seek refuge somewhere else, another galaxy over. 

It took longer for Miranda to find herself a ship to transport her, but enough credits made it easier to hitch a ride somewhere new. She chose somewhere farther off but closer to Citadel Space, but with more humans to help her blend in. Bekenstein, in the Serpent Nebula, a large human colony, known for its similarity to Illium, but for humans. The planet being a great place for trade with high-quality luxury goods with markets in the Citadel, enough traffic to blend in perfectly. Miranda had decided earlier before to make Bekenstein a fallback plan should Cerberus actively try to find her. Unfortunately, this follower didn’t look like Cerberus, but still necessary. 

Upon arriving at the station, Miranda finally breathed a sigh of relief, seeing no sign of the stranger once she lands. Satisfied that she finally lost her tail, Miranda takes the time to find a place to stay on Bekenstein, letting herself get become situated with the hustle of the planet. Having been on Illium before, getting use to Bekenstein and its similarities became easy, except for the fact that it was almost entirely inhabited by humans, and thus even more of a cesspool. 

A week passed smoothly, nothing to bring worry about. Even though the planet was a nicer looking cesspool, Miranda easy found a decent bar, small and frequented enough to not draw attention but slow enough to give her time without being bothered. She had scoped out the bar for awhile before deciding to finally have a drink. Stepping through the door, Miranda froze in place, the door hissing closed behind her as she ceased her movement. Even from the back, Miranda recognizes the blue tipped hair of the stranger sitting at a table. From the look of things, they hadn’t noticed Miranda had entered the bar yet. 

Miranda grits her teeth, taking long strides towards the table rather than leave. “That’s it.” The palm of her hand slams onto the table, drawing the stranger’s gaze, but they seem unfazed by the interruption. “Just who are you?” 

They gesture to the seat across from them, a drink resting across the table. Miranda stares at the drink, her mouth slightly agape at the fact that it was there, the stranger holding a drink in their hand already. “I mean, you don’t _have_ to drink it, but that’s what you came here for right?” The statement earn Miranda’s glare, but she angrily takes the seat, sliding the drink away as she rests her hands on the table.

”Who are you?” Miranda asks again. 

”My name’s Agent Theta.” They state, smiling as the take a sip of their drink, glass held by their ungloved hand. 

The absurd answer settles on Miranda’s face, the fact that she in no way believes that to be at all honest. “You’re joking.” She states, glaring now. “You’re name can’t possibly be _that_.”

”Not good enough?” Theta lowers the drink from their lips, tapping at the glass with a finger. “Sorry I don’t have anything else for you. You’re going to have to take it, Miss Lawson.”

So they know who she is. Miranda sets her teeth, leaning back in her seat as she eyes them. “Agent Theta?”

”Yup.”

”That’s your name?”

”Yes.”

”Your name is Agent Theta?”

”Is there an echo?”

Miranda leans across the table, her hands splayed across the surface. ”I don’t believe that for a second.”

Theta takes a drink as Miranda speaks, quickly lowering the glass, shaking a finger of their other hand. “You know what? You’re right, but Theta is my last name. My first name is Ag, middle name Ent.” Miranda’s palm hits her forehead with a loud smack, for a second there she was feeling hopeful. 

”Fine.” Miranda relents, shaking her head as she places her hand back on the table. “Agent Theta.”

”Just Theta is fine.”

”Theta.”

”Yes?”

Miranda sighs, really starting to hate this back and forth. “You obviously know who I am.”

”Clearly.” Her fists clench against the table. “Sorry, you were saying?” 

It takes a good amount of willpower for Miranda to gently rest her hand flat back onto the table. “I have a right to know who my tail is.” Although the words are calmer, they are spoken through clenched teeth.

”I prefer stalker, but I am sorry to say that’s all you’re gonna get.” Theta takes one last long drink from their glass before setting it on the table. “I do enjoy these talks and moments of stunned silence, but aside from following you place to place, I do have other business to attend to.” They slide out from their seat, straightening their vest before nodding at Miranda. “I’ll be here next time you feel like a drink, which is probably going to be all the time now. I’m assuming. Ciao.” Theta snaps a leisurely salute at Miranda with their ungloved hand before finally leaving her at the bar alone.

A solid minute passes before Miranda gingerly grabs a napkin from the table, using it to grab Theta’s glass. She turns the glass, inspecting the sides, a grin spreading across her lips as she sees the clear imprint of Theta’s thumb against the surface. “Nice try.” Miranda murmurs, opening her omni-tool to scan the thumbprint. It’s a little smudged, but with the right contacts, she could easily find out who they were because of it.

Except for the fact that she doesn’t.

”What do you mean they don’t exist?” Miranda hisses, the video call of the man on her omni-tool recoiling at her sudden hostility. 

_”I’m sorry, Miss Lawson. I don’t know what else to tell you. I ran the print through every database I could access and I can’t find anything; Alliance or otherwise. I mean to say its LIKE they don’t exist. They could have such a clean record that they don’t exist on any record. With the print you sent me, I can’t find anything, no matches or even partial matches.”_ The man on the call hesitates, mulling it over. _”There is a possibility that they tampered with the print?”_

Miranda rolls her eyes. Sitting at the table the whole time was clear enough evidence that Theta didn’t tamper with the print, they did no such action, otherwise she would have noticed. There’s just no way that could have happened without her noticing, sitting right across from them no less. “No, that’s not possible.”

_”Well.”_ He begins, hesitating again. _”I did notice some irregularities with the print, if they didn’t tamper with the print directly there’s a chance that… Well, what you sent me looks like it has a lot of scarring. I initially thought it was just a smudge but looking at it again, it shows signs of obliteration. Could be the reason why its not getting any hits.”_ The words make Miranda’s brow furrow, pulling up the print again to inspect it herself.

”Where?”

_”All of it. There’s no distinct distortion like a cut would do. There’s marks and unconnected lines, its still a distinct print, but the distortion is obvious when you look at the discontinuity. If I had to guess, I’d say their entire thumb was burned pretty deep to cause this much damage to the print.”_ Miranda’s mouth falls open in shock, but quickly turns into a snarl as she glances away from the call, another piece clicking into place. Before, Theta had held the credit chit with a gloved hand, this time the glass was held ungloved, they… She bites her lip, thanking the man on the call again before abruptly ending it. No wonder getting the print was easy, because it was too easy.

Miranda’s biotics subtly flare up as her annoyance climbs, her hands clenching into fists. It was only yesterday that she took the prints, but she knew exactly where Theta would be, no matter what time it was. Without even hesitating, she storms off, straight back to the bar she was at just yesterday. Sure enough, as soon as the door opens, she spots Theta’s backside, sitting at the exact same table they were at yesterday. Miranda strides over, taking the seat across from them with a huff, folding her arms across her chest as she glares at them.

Theta has another drink in their hand, holding it with up with their left gloved hand instead this time. They take a nice leisurely sip from the glass, exaggerating the refreshing taste of the beverage with smack of their lips and a long sigh. They don’t say a word, taking another long drink and repeating the action, drawing more annoyance from Miranda as her eyes narrow in anger. 

Finally, Theta sets the drink onto the table. “So how’d the fingerprint go? Find anything juicy?”

”You know I didn’t.” Miranda hisses.

”Oh… right.” Theta lifts their right hand, palm up and fingers fanned out. “Sorry, should have mentioned.”

Miranda’s eyes widen as she eyes their hand, an abundance of old scars splayed out across their hand, burns from the look of them. The evidence not just on their thumb, but their entire hand showing evidence of scarring. “You…” She looks up from their hand to see their stupid smirk, her eyes narrowing angrily. “You burned off your prints.”

Theta shrugs, lowering their hand. “Not…” They hesitate. “Intentionally, sort of.”

”What is that suppose to mean?” Theta shrugs in response. “Are you ever going to give me an honest answer?” Miranda’s voice steadily climbing towards the intensely annoyed.

”Probably not, I mean it makes it more fun this way right?”

”Who sent you to find me?” Her finger is now angrily stabbing the table to try and get her point across.

”Divine Will.”

”Did Jacob tell you how to find me? Is that how?”

”I thought it last name was just Taylor but maybe his middle name is Divine Will?”

”Are you even listening to me?”

”Hey, do you want to play a game?”

Miranda smacks her face with the palm of her hand, scrunching her eyes closed as she drags her palm down the length of her face, a small groan escaping her lips. At the rate of things, there was no way to get honest answers from Theta, at least not on Miranda’s terms. Especially with the earlier game of cat and mouse, it was obvious Theta wasn’t going to cease, at least the better option seemed to play along. “What game?”

”Twenty questions.” Miranda pulls back, stretching the length of her back against her seat, hands grasping the edge of the table. Naturally, it was something childish, the total thirty minutes she’s known them now, she could have anticipated it. “This is your chance; I’ll answer all your questions honestly. The rules of the game still apply, you can only ask me close-ended questions, if you ask a different question, well then I win.”

Miranda leans back towards the table, resting an elbow against the surface, her chin resting in her palm. “I had no idea there was a scenario where I win.”

Theta grabs their drink, fiddling with the rim of the glass. “It wouldn’t be a game if you didn’t have the chance to win. Choose your questions carefully.”

Miranda leans back, lowering her hand from her chin to cup her hands together, eyes narrowing at Theta. So far, it was near impossible to read them, whether they were lying or being serious. From what it sounded like; they were serious. “Is Agent Theta your real name?”

”No.” Miranda’s brow cocks up at the answer, her interest suddenly spiking at the honesty behind it. “Kind of a waste of a question, I’d imagine.” Theta takes a sip from their drink, resting the glass back on the table as they cup their chin with the palm of their free hand. “Nineteen more to go.”

”Did you purposely change your finger prints?”

”No.” Another honest one, this time Miranda can tell when Theta isn’t lying, except for the fact that their earlier statement about it being intentional making her curious.

”Did Jacob tell you how to find me?”

”No.” Curious, it was still up for debate whether Theta was the individual Jacob notified Miranda about.

”Did you hurt Jacob to find out where I was?”

”No.” Miranda leans forward now, finger rubbing her chin as she starts to think more seriously. Now that Jacob’s wellbeing was put aside, the question became who exactly Theta was.

”Do you work for Cerberus?”

The stupid smirk spreads across Theta’s lips as they shake their head. “No.”

”Do you work for the Alliance?”

Another head shake. “No.”

That ruled out most of the people Miranda was really concerned about. If Theta was Cerberus, the Illusive Man was up to something, if it was the Alliance, it had something to do with Shepard. Whoever Theta worked for didn’t seem to be a risk to Miranda’s safety, it still left the question on who it was, but that wasn’t a close-ended question she could ask. The next question would be why. “Is Cerberus tracking me?”

The smirk remained on Theta’s lips. “Yes.”

Miranda straightened up, her hands shifting their hold on each other as she considers the information. If Cerberus was tracking her, there had to be a reason, they had let her be since defecting, to her surprise. “Is Cerberus trying to get information from me?”

”No.”

So much for hoping it was as simple as that. The only other reason Cerberus would be tracking her would be… “Is Cerberus trying to kill me?”

”Yes.”

”Shit.” Miranda glances away, letting her hands steady against the surface of the table. “Did Cerberus send an assassin after me?” Theta cocks their head to the side at that, biting the inside of their cheek, lifting a hand and letting it teeter side to side in response. “What is that supposed to mean?”

Theta lowers their hand, shrugging. “Yes and no. They did but they also didn’t do it officially, they didn’t put out a hit on you. If that’ll help you sleep at night.”

”Heartwarming.” Theta shrugs again, agreeing with Miranda’s statement. Another question that kept popping up, how and why did Theta know so much? There had to be a reason behind Theta’s knowledge, a reason they knew it at all. “Did your employer hire you to track me for Cerberus?”

Theta waggles a finger at Miranda, the annoying smirk turning into a knowing smile. “No. You’re getting good at this game.”

Miranda covers the grin forming on her lips with her hand, acting as if she’s deep in thought instead. “Did your employer hire you to follow me and keep Cerberus off my trail?”

”Yes.” Theta points a happy finger at Miranda, emphasizing the correct question. 

”So, does Cerberus know where I am?” 

Theta shrugs. “As far as I can tell, they don’t, not anymore.”

A sinking feeling settles in Miranda’s gut. “Do you know who the Cerberus assassin is?”

Theta shakes their head. “No.” The sinking feeling settling in her gut at the answer, only one assassin comes to mind and the idea makes Miranda bite her tongue.

”Do you know the gender of the Cerberus assassin?” At least that could narrow it down. 

”Yes.”

”Is the assassin a man?”

”No.”

A heavy sigh of relief escapes Miranda as she feels the pit in her stomach relax, so it rules out Kai Leng. Still leaves quite a few possibilities, but at least it rules out her bigger fear. She had too many run ins with Kai Leng to feel comfortable knowing he was after her, but at least she confirmed it wasn’t him. Whoever it was couldn’t be too substantial of a threat, especially considering she had… someone relatively competent keeping the assassin off her trail. “Do you have a ship?”

”Yes.” That at least explains how Theta kept successfully following Miranda everywhere, they had their own transportation. 

”Do you plan on following me until the assassin is taken care of?”

Theta shrugs. “Basically, yes.” They take a sip from their drink as Miranda mulls over the pool of information, letting it sink in as they swirl the liquid around in its glass. Although it was entirely up to Theta’s employer to decide when to pull back, they figured it wasn’t important to mention. “You have two questions left, by the way.” 

Miranda rests both elbows on the table, clasping her hands together as she rests her chin against them, eyeing Theta with a crucial look. There remained quite a few unknowns, who exactly Theta was working for, who the assassin is, but the most important question, that Miranda knew she could ask. “Can I trust you?”

Theta’s interest seems to perk up at the question, their brow raised curiously as that stupid smirk reaches their face. They mimic how Miranda is leaning against the table, the smirk still playing on their lips as they lock eyes with her serious gaze. “Yes.” With that Miranda slides out from her seat, standing beside the table, fingers lightly grazing the surface before she departs. “Wait, you have one more question!”

”I’m done playing this game.” Miranda leans towards Theta, looming over them from where she stands. “There is nothing left for me to ask. We’re done here.”

”I’ll be around!” Theta calls as Miranda finally leaves the bar.


	5. Chapter 5

_”What is your report?”_

Theta’s fiddling on the controls of their ship cease, idly looking at the call on their omni-tool from the corner of their eye. “On the babysitting? Well, I put her to bed at her bed time, after I fed her a well balanced dinner. Plenty of vegetables. Its quiet, boring and…” They tap their chin. “Did I mention boring?”

_”What about the Cerberus assassin?”_

Theta rolls their head on their neck, groaning lightly. “I have no idea. Don’t really have anything to go on without knowing the identity of the assassin, they’re a ghost.” They chuckle. “At least we have that in common.” They shrug. “I can counter as much as I can but hiding from something and not knowing where it is, is kinda like fumbling in the dark at this point. Not to mention constant babysitting. Speaking of…” Theta turns their gaze, eyeing a holographic map with a blip moving slowly. “I need to end this report. Target is moving and I need to make sure she gets tucked in properly.” 

_”Must you joke with this?”_

Theta glances at the call, staring blankly at the screen. “It wouldn’t be any fun if I didn’t.” They state, as if that was a stupid question to begin with. Theta ends the call, grabbing their glove from the dash and slipping it over their mechanical hand before quickly departing the cockpit. 

Theta leaves the ship, a skip in their step as they walk, dodging past the people around them as they leave the docks. With a little bit of money under the table, the fact that their ship was docked, was overlooked. Keeping people silent was easy, with enough credits. Even though Miranda was now aware Theta had a ship, there was no way she could find it, at least not very easily.

At least with the past few days it seemed Ms. Lawson settled with the fact that Theta followed her home every day. Sometimes Miranda went to the bar for another drink, sometimes she dealt with some business that Theta decided not to peep on. Most of the business looked typical from Theta’s perspective, Miranda had a steady stream of contacts outside of Cerberus. Theta’s only suspicion being that Miranda was doing what she could to find the assassin on her own. What good that did. 

As Theta walked, they occasionally flex their left hand, a small view screen appearing over their hand as they move. They eye the map there, suddenly coming to a halt in a lonely alley. In the darker alleys of the planet, there were hardly any people, letting Theta slip around silently, as well as Miranda. The quieter areas of the planet being Miranda’s route back to where she was staying, it allowed her some obvious freedom from being followed. At the very least, when there was no one else around, Miranda could be sure she only had one. 

Theta flexes their fingers, closing their left hand into a fist, the viewscreen closing as they prop their side against a wall. As soon as they stop and relax, a figure passes them, suddenly halting as soon as she walks by. 

”Do you have to do that every time?” Miranda drones, turning to glare at Theta, arms folded across her chest. 

”I mean I don’t have to, but you’d miss me.” Theta grins, making Miranda roll her eyes.

”I can take care of myself.” Miranda backs up, her hand tapping against her folded arm. Several days this has happened now, and on occasion Miranda spoke up in annoyance regarding it. It became a typical exchange between the two of them, one that Theta occasionally looked forward to.

”I don’t doubt that.” Theta shrugs. “Unfortunately for you, I’m the glorified babysitter unless told otherwise. Just going to have to learn to deal with that.” Miranda rolls her eyes again, turning away from Theta as she does. “No worries, I become likeable after about a year.”

”I certainly hope I’m not stuck with you for that long.” Miranda muses, she doesn’t turn back to look at Theta, instead resuming her walk back to her apartment with Theta following loosely behind. 

”Excuse me, I’m the one stuck with babysitting duty.” Theta whines, letting their arms flail behind them in mock annoyance. “Do you think I want to follow you everywhere?” They straighten up, their eyes trailing down Miranda before jerking their gaze away to glance somewhere else. “Although there are perks.” They mumble. 

Miranda suddenly halts, making Theta pause, jumping at her sudden stop. “What was that?” 

”What?” Theta glances behind them, pointing to the emptiness. “You see something?” Miranda’s eyes narrow as she glares at them, turning back on her heel and continuing onwards. Theta breathes a silent sigh; thankful they dodged that bullet, continuing to follow behind Miranda silently.

Theta suddenly halts, their feet falling still against the ground, a shiver running down the back of their neck. _Wait_. The smell of ozone reaches Theta’s nose, and they quickly lunge forward, their ears popping as they move. Their body finds Miranda’s back before the oncoming blade does, catching Theta’s arm as they twist out of the way.

Both Miranda and Theta hit the ground, Theta cushioning Miranda’s fall. Their ears popping again, as they push Miranda off, letting her roll free to the side, frantically spreading their legs as the blade comes down into the pavement just between them.

Theta lifts their foot, pushing themselves off the blade, still wedged into the ground, their hand finding the gun strapped to their thigh. The sound of rapid fire reaches Theta’s ears before they can react, twisting to Miranda with an SMG in her own hand, firing away at the masked individual in front of Theta. They roll to their side, getting to their feet quickly and standing back up, flying to Miranda, gun raised as they spin back around to the assassin. They catch the glimpse of a figure ducking behind a wall, the sword still implanted into the ground.

”I’m going to go on a limb, and say we found your Cerberus assassin.” Theta mumbles, their eyes trained on the wall, thankfully there was nowhere for the assassin to run, they either came back out and got shot at or stayed there. Either way was a positive outlook.

”You don’t say?” Miranda drones. 

Theta takes a step to the side, standing in front of Miranda, their hand resting on her gun and lowering it. “Not so great without a sword huh.” They let go of Miranda’s gun, keeping their own trained on where the assassin was hiding. “Close range combat isn’t really my forte, but I’m a semi- decent shot.” They keep their pistol firmly in their hand, standing in front of Miranda, flexing the fingers of their left hand pensively. “I suggest you come out with your hands up and maybe I’ll play nice.” They could hear Miranda shift from behind, quickly correcting themselves. “ _Maybe_.” 

The assassin steps out from their hiding, arms raised partially in surrender. The woman was clad in a Cerberus armor, formfitting but heavily fortified, no doubt light to help with her rapid movement. There was a mask over her head, a secure helmet that filtered air. The only visible indication of there being viewpoints for the mask were two red lights lined on either side, giving the appearance of four slitted eyes. 

A garbled voice came from the assassin, obviously female but obscured by the filter in the helmet. “Rayl Shield.” Theta’s eyes grew wide, their gun suddenly lowering.

”Who are you?” The question slowly escapes Theta’s lips, their eyes still wide in shock, their gun an afterthought as their arm slowly lowers to their side. 

The assassin slowly moves one of her hands, pressing a palm against the front of the mask. There was a loud click and a hiss as the helmet depressurized, the front plate removing itself, revealing the face beneath. 

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

_”We’re enlisting together, sir.” Rayl glanced behind them at Alex, turning back to the recruiting officer, holding up both their application files on a data pad. It didn’t take much convincing to get Alex to come with. Alex was always like glue, she never left Rayl’s side, not even for a minute. Not even when they were in school as younger kids, she didn’t trust anyone else like she trusted Rayl._

_  
_

_The officer looked skeptically at Alex standing behind Rayl. People usually did, Alex was always high strung, the teachers growing up always called her_ volatile _and Rayl knew it too. She would sooner break a man’s nose than ask questions. In a fight however, she was capable, although she’d always jump headfirst into one, she at least knew how to fight. Plenty of people on the colony knew her for that, and that was all. No doubt the officer knew about her too. Still. The officer looked down at the data pad, scanning the information, sliding through the content with a finger. “Shield?”_

_  
_

_He glanced up, looking at Alex. Of course he was asking about that. Rayl stepped in the way of his gaze, already feeling the tension of Alex’s patience wear thin at the line of questions and doubt. “Yes, sir. We were raised together as siblings, so she’ll be applying under my name.” They explained, they could feel Alex’s tension pop like a bubble, relaxing. Rayl had that effect on her; they found. They could stop a punch from being thrown with just a word. Growing up, it became more apparent why the duo could never be separated. Otherwise who knew what Alex would wind up doing without someone to stop her._

__

__

_The officer shook his head, lowering the data pad to gaze at Rayl. “If she’s applying with you…. I can’t. I don’t think I can let you join. She’s too… untamed.” A good word to use, for sure._

__

__

_”That’s why she’ll be my responsibility, sir.” Rayl stands up straighter, taking the situation seriously. “If you let us both join, I swear I will keep her in line. If we join and get put in the same platoon, she will not be a problem. I promise. I swear it.”_

_The officer sighed, but a grin played on his mouth, and he put the data pad down to his side. “Alright then.” He tapped a few items on his terminal, nodding with a smile as soon as a button was pressed. “Welcome to the Alliance."_

~*~*~*~*~~**~*~*~*~

Gunfire shots brought Theta back to the present, their head snapping behind them to catch Miranda opening fire. Thankfully Alex, the assassin, nimbly dodged the spray, grabbing her sword in the process to deflect a few more bullets before ducking back into her cover. 

”LAWSON!” Theta screeches, making Miranda temporarily lower her gun, glowering back at them. 

”Might I remind you she’s an assassin from Cerberus?!” Miranda shouts back, opening fire at Alex’s cover again, Theta cursing under their breath before shoving Miranda’s gun down. 

”Funny company you keep nowadays, Rayl.” Alex’s voice rings behind the cover, almost like a song, toying. “Of course, last I recall you were… I don’t know… you were dead. Funny.” Theta snaps their pistol back up, bringing their gloved hand to their mouth. 

”D36.” Theta cocks their head slightly to the side, whispering the words just loud enough for Miranda to hear, drawing a curious gaze. “On my signal, you run for that docking bay.” With the instruction, Miranda seems to only tense up, not just from the order anymore. “Just. Trust me.” Theta bites down on a finger of their glove at that, pulling the glove slowly off with their teeth, revealing the robotic hand beneath, making Miranda’s eyes widen. 

”Always great to see a familiar face that you thought was dead.” At the words, Alex darts out from her cover, sword flying as Theta opens fire, the smooth blade deflecting each shot.

”GO!” Theta instinctively flays out the fingers of their hand, tossing their arm to the side as their omni-tool lights up and a small blade flips into existence. As the omni-blade flips outwards so too does a longer steel blade, sliding out from the circuitry of their hand, about the length of their forearm. The blade folds out seamlessly, Theta’s arm returning to the front just in time to catch the edge of Alex’s steel, ringing from the contact. At the ring, Miranda turns on her heel, not bothering to open fire as she runs. 

Seeing Miranda flee sets Alex’s teeth on edge, pressing her blade against Theta’s. “Get out of my way, _Rayl_.” Theta’s foot twists, sliding behind them as they shove their weight forward, using it to propel their blade, shoving Alex back. 

”No.” Theta jumps back out of Alex’s reach, their blade flying back to their side as they lift their pistol back up, opening fire and putting Alex on the defensive. Theta’s blade slides back away as they clench their hand into a fist, laying down the fire to push Alex back, deflecting each shot with her blade. Theta flicks a finger on their left hand, their omni-tool briefly displaying before they lift their arm, a small sandbag materializing and propelling from the omni-tool and colliding with Alex’s blade. The collision makes the bag explode, sending Alex flying back from the concussive blast. Theta doesn’t waste a second to see if she recovers, turning on their heel and running. 

With the head start, Miranda beats Theta to their ship and only waits briefly by the docking bay before Theta runs past her, grabbing her forearm to tug her along. “COME ON!” Granted there was no way for Alex to follow them to that point, it didn’t put them out of the woods yet. Theta knew well enough how fast Alex could travel with her biotics. Entering the docking bay, Theta makes a beeline for their ship, placing the palm of their left hand against its hull, the side of the ship sliding open at the prompt. 

”Get in.” Theta doesn’t wait for permission, just short of shoving Miranda into the ship before clambering inside behind her. “EVE!” There’s a confirmatory beep to the name. “Launch contingency plan.” The door snaps closed and the engines to Theta’s ship quickly fires up, taking them out of the dock to the station and off the planet’s surface. “Fuck.” Theta breathes, standing and breathing heavily as they reset their vest, making sure everything is still where they left it. 

Until Theta’s back collides with the walls of their ship, Miranda’s forearm pressed against their chest, her gun pressed hard against their side. “You _lied_ to me.” She hisses. 

Despite the barrel of a gun pressed against Theta’s side, they cock their head, arms raised in defense, curious and nonchalant. “You’re gonna have to be more specific, what lie are we talking about?” They ask, deadpan.

”You work for Cerberus.” The accusation makes Theta sigh. 

”I don’t work for Cerberus. Why would I lie in 20 questions? That’s against the rules.”

”Then WHY, does that assassin seem to know you?” Miranda presses, pushing herself harder against Theta, the barrel of her gun pressing painfully against their side.

”I could explain if you let me.” Theta replies, still calm and nodding their head to Miranda’s pressing threat. 

A silence passes between them before Miranda sighs, and steps away, lowering her gun. “Fine. _Explain_.” The heat in her voice only makes Theta grin.

Theta once more straightens their vest, tilting their head just enough to receive a satisfying crack from their neck. “Eve, open personnel file, Rayl Shield.” There’s a confirming beep from the ship before the opposite wall opens a display; that side of the ship composed mostly of display screens. The change makes Miranda turn her attention behind her, her eyes widening at what was there.

A face appeared on the screen, Theta’s face, except there was some difference to it. They looked younger, less ragged, their hair longer and pulled back into a low ponytail. They stood at attention, standing up straight and ready to present when the photo was taken. Beside the photo was a display of information: name, rank, birthday, birthplace, and status. The most eye catching part of the information, besides the image was the large red capitalized letters beside status that read: KIA, followed by a date.

Miranda is instantly drawn to the personnel file on display, approaching the screen as she reads the information. “I was Alliance. You asked me if I currently work for them, so that wasn’t a lie.” Theta says, taking a deep breath as they make their way to a seat, sitting down to let Miranda read the information on the file. There was a brief bio, mostly information on their expertise, information on different tests that were done to look at capabilities, determination on where they were placed. “Alex…” Theta hesitated, rubbing their hand against the back of their neck. “The assassin, we joined the Alliance together about 10 years ago.”

”This.” Miranda turns away from the display, eyeing Theta. “Says you’re dead.”

”Curious, I wonder what Commander Shepard's Alliance Profile says?” Theta glances coyly at Miranda, grinning before lowering their gaze. "To the Alliance, yes. My new employer hired me and I had a chance at a new life because..." They lift their hands, fiddling their fingers around. “I have different fingerprints now, and anyone who knew me under that name thought I was dead, I'm just a ghost.” They shrug, grinning. “Spooky.”

Miranda points to Theta’s left hand, another curious brow rising, Theta fiddled the fingers of the mechanical hand, grinning as they do so. “Well if I share that story, I’ll just be ruining all the mystery.” They drop their hands down on their thighs, standing. “Anyways, now that our assassin has found your location, we’ll have to keep off surface for a little while. Last thing we need is for your face to show up on a camera somewhere and tip her off.” They step away from their seat, venturing towards the door to the cockpit, shrugging before looking back over their shoulder to Miranda. “Guess we’re going to be stuck with each other for awhile.”

Miranda steps away from the display, cocking herself on her hip, arms folded across her chest as she watches Theta back towards the cockpit; clearly not pleased with the situation. “For how long?” She asks.

Theta shrugs. “For a month, at best. It’ll get Alex off your trail if we stay mobile, she can’t track us while we’re flying.” They glance towards the door to the engine room, nodding at it. “There’s a bunk in the engine room, you can sleep in there. I need to..” They wave an idle hand towards the cockpit. “I have to run damage control now that we’ve seen who we’re up against.” They take another step back. “Make yourself comfortable, but don’t…” They take a quick glance around the common room, trying to size up what could be breakable. “Don’t break anything unless you want my ship to explode, and I’d prefer to keep it in one piece while we’re in the middle of space.”

At that, Theta turns, the door hissing open allowing them to step into the cockpit. Miranda opens her mouth to speak but lets the door close, her question unspoken. She turns away, eyeing the display with the Alliance record still visible. At least she actually knew who she was up against, they both did.


End file.
